WhenToBird

Passerculus sandwichensis · Passerellidae

When Do Savannah Sparrows Arrive in Kansas?

Adult Savannah Sparrow
Photo: Irene, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Savannah Sparrows are winter birds in Kansas: they arrive in mid September, peak in mid October (10% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common bySep 15-21mid September
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: mid October. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 10% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 1.6% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.6% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.1% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.6% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.7% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.7% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.7% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.1% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.1% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.5% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 10% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.8% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.9% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.0% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.9% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.0% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.7% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.7% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.0% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 10% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.9% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.7% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.2% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.4% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.3% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.5% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.9% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.6% of 8186 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Kansas that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Harper CountyBest the second week of October · 20 checklists that week, 946 in all36%
  2. Stafford CountyBest the second week of October · 140 checklists that week, 6,839 in all34%
  3. Comanche CountyBest mid April · 25 checklists that week, 769 in all31%
  4. Kiowa CountyBest the second week of March · 34 checklists that week, 1,540 in all31%
  5. Neosho CountyBest late April · 85 checklists that week, 2,366 in all29%
  6. Edwards CountyBest late October · 12 checklists that week, 426 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clinton Recreation Area (southeast)Douglas County, best late October · 77 checklists that week, 714 in all61%
  2. Shawnee State Fishing LakeShawnee County, best late April · 28 checklists that week, 882 in all52%
  3. Greater Flint Hills Fee (southeast)Riley County, best late April · 22 checklists that week, 141 in all51%
  4. Quivira National Wildlife RefugeStafford County, best early October · 24 checklists that week, 1,247 in all51%
  5. Clear Creek LakeAtchison County, best late April · 34 checklists that week, 615 in all50%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Savannah Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (4.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 3.3% of 12550 checklists7 am: 4.4% of 34128 checklists8 am: 4.1% of 45960 checklists9 am: 3.9% of 37806 checklists10 am: 3.5% of 32102 checklists11 am: 2.9% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 2.4% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 2.5% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 2.3% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 2.7% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 2.5% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 3.0% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 3.0% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 1.7% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January1.6%1.6%1.1%1.2%
February1.5%0.9%1.1%1.6%
March1.7%2.7%3.7%5.1%
April6.1%6.5%10%8.8%
May5.9%3.0%0.9%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0.1%0%0.1%
September0.2%0.8%1.0%2.7%
October5.7%9.0%12%10%
November5.9%4.7%3.2%2.4%
December1.3%1.5%1.9%1.6%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives early September, 2 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives late September, 1 week later than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives late September, 1 week later than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives early October, 2 weeks later than Kansas

Common questions

When do Savannah Sparrows arrive in Kansas?
Savannah Sparrows are winter birds in Kansas: they arrive in mid September, peak in mid October (10% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Savannah Sparrows leave Kansas?
Most Savannah Sparrows have left Kansas by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid May.
When is the best time to see a Savannah Sparrow in Kansas?
The Savannah Sparrow is reported most often in mid October, on about 10% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Savannah Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Harper County, Stafford County, and Comanche County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Savannah Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).